End of May update from the pits

Short-eared owl (Mark Clarke)

 Little Owl

 Red Kite

 Oystercatcher chicks growing well

Common Tern

 Day roost of Gulls

Common Terns

Our purple patch continued last week when Mark Clarke discovered a Short-eared Owl on the main pit.  This is an unusual sighting given the time of year. The bird sat on the east bank with some cover from the willows. Most of the regulars all managed to get down to see the bird with the last sighting at 2pm. Sadly I was working late on a new programme so missed the action but I did find a Little Owl sat on a telegraph pole above the road on the way.

A Dunlin & 2 Ringed Plover were the only migrants through the pits. Jon was back from his migration holiday in north america and had an interesting morning on Sunday. A Little Owl was heard calling from an old haunt which brings new hope of a return whilst other counts included 17 Little Grebe, 1 Cormorant, 3 Grey herons, 4 Mute Swan (plus brood), 26 Greylag, 70 Canada geese (plus 3 broods & nest), pair of Shelduck and nine ducklings, 22 gadwall, 115 Mallard (plus 8 broods), 44 Tufted Duck, 14 Buzzard, 1 immature peregrine, 4 Oystercatcher with two young, three Little Ringed Plovers, 2 lapwing, a Redshank, 4 Common tern, 35 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 5 herring Gulls, four Cuckoo, 25 Swift, a Sand Martin, Meadw Pipit, male Yellow Wagtail, 15 male Reed Warblers, 4 male Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Common Whitethroat, 2 Ravens, calling young Sparrowhawks and three broods of Long-taile Tits.

Also of note was the second Common Club-tail dragonfly for the pits and the first for Warwickshire for several years. 15-20 Bee Orchids are also by the main pit.